


Worlds Gone By

by Kaoupa



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Set in the Little Rebellions universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 21:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15591522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoupa/pseuds/Kaoupa
Summary: As the New Rebellion slowly gains ground, and the Diamond Authority lies collapsing under the new order, plans are made by gems on both sides. To free or shatter the Diamonds, to launch attacks on the other, to keep the ground they hold till the end.And on Homeward, someone who is not a gem, but still just as involved in the war as any of them, speaks at one of the sources of so much trouble.





	Worlds Gone By

Deep in the Rebellion’s territory on Homeworld, in an area all but unnoticed by the Authority's remaining forces, there was a small base.

And inside it, Connie Maheswaren, after passing through a series of checkpoints, made eye contact with a pair of Topazes, a quartet of Pearls from the Starlight Dancers who had been assigned here, and and a pair of Corals, all armed to the teeth.

None of them made any move to stop her. But they didn’t make any move to let her go by.

“I’m here for the inspection. Code is… Facet J9F, Cut C8O, Cabochan 92T.” She recited, remembering what she had been told by the Pearl who once belonged to Yellow Diamond just that day.

None of the gems responded verbally, but one of the Pearls smiled at her, and one of the others reached down and tapped the code into a lock.

The door they were guarding opened, and Connie went in. None of the gems outside followed her.

It was really a small chamber. And how funny was it that was what she was focused on.

 _Focus, Connie._ She told herself, and chuckled to herself at the unintentional repetition, before putting her eyes on what she had come to look at.

The citadel she was inside was one of the first buildings made on Homeworld after the New Rebellion had gained control, and had no true equivalent in terms of structure anywhere else in gem space - the blueprints were unique, had now been erased from every known hard drive, and only existed in Pearl’s mind.

The rooms and structure had been designed with countless chokepoints besides the one she had just gone through. Armories and tools only designed to be wielded by her and the gems in the building at any given moment populated every third room, and all of the rooms had been designed to be locked down at a moment’s notice.

The gems in question were some of the New Rebellion’s most loyal and combat-capable members, and all of them had proved their worth several times over.

The inside of the chamber she was in - the place this fortress had been built around - was remarkably tiny, in spite of all that. Barely ten feet by ten feet by ten feet, the floor was more or less a normal floor, was plain green, and looked sort of like grass.

The ceiling, on the other hand, was filled with downward-pointing spikes, the sort of spikes which made stalactites (or stalagmites? She could never remember...) envious, all crackling with electric power, the sort found in the gem disruptors that had been based on Yellow Diamond’s powers, all running on their own circuit and generator, but also able to tap into the building should it be required.

And if the disruptors somehow failed, the inside of the walls to the chamber had been filled with explosives. Not explosives like dynamite, or even the first atom bombs - these were explosives made by the gem race trying their hardest to make sure whatever was blasted by them had no chance to survive.

As far as the Crystal Gems, Blue Pearl, and the other more or less “leaders” of the New Rebellion were concerned, White Diamond would never trouble anyone again, as soon as they could get rid of her safely.

Carefully, she moved forwards, then, even more carefully, started to look. White Diamond had light-based powers, according to Pearl - while the Diamonds, as far as she could tell, were not all that good at practicing their powers, they were still more than a match for any other gem she knew even without that.

So the idea that White had reformed herself and then generated an illusion to fool onlookers wasn’t impossible. And that was why she was sent in here - as the only wholly-organic agent of the New Rebellion, she was the only one they could be certain was immune to White Diamond’s mental powers.

Ten minutes later, she was done. Everything was in order, the bubbles that contained White Diamond’s gem were intact, and she gave a thumbs up to the gems who were watching to signify all was well (yesterday, the signal as was well had been her hopping on one foot back to the entrance).

But still, Connie didn’t turn to leave.

She had something to say, even if nobody else heard it (except the gems who were monitoring them).

“You know, I was always wondering why someone would build a society like this.”

She didn’t wait for a reply that wouldn’t have come before she continued. “Just, how everything is so immobile. There’s no way of changing anything, no way to alter things without the sayso from the nobles or the Diamonds - and those people still have to answer to you!”

She sighed. “But… it’s really easy to tell. You always thought you knew best. That everyone should listen to you. That the whole idea you could even be wrong about something was not something that could happen. And… at first, you could do all of that. You could watch over everyone and provide leadership, and they would all sing your praises as you built a world for them.”

A memory passed through her mind briefly, told to her by an older Pearl - one that could even predate the Pearls of the Diamonds. A different Homeworld, but still of gemkind. A world where songs passed through the air, where life still existed beyond the gems. Where White Diamond still ruled, but where things were… peaceful. Good.

And the stories she had heard after that, as space travel was achieved, and parks and relaxation and peace became anathema. As the horror stories told of organic life - which Powder Blue Pearl had never seen herself before she met Connie - became more and more horrifying as the gems colonized the heavens above. As the songs of peace and harmony became songs of conquest and glory, before the songs ceased altogether.

As a world that could have been a heaven to anyone on it slowly became a hell.

“And in the end, that became this.” Connie quietly said, before continuing to glare at the rock. “When things grew, you couldn’t control everything anymore. But you weren’t willing to let go of any control.” Her voice grew sarcastic “Because _nobody_ would be able to do anything without you, right?”

For a second, Connie thought of her parents. “So you started telling people what to do. When gems protested, you set things up so that you wouldn’t have to be there to control things. And when people wouldn’t agree, you punished or killed everyone who disagreed until whoever was left did. The world around you had changed. But you weren’t willing to change with it.”

More images passed through Connie’s mind - of Yellow Diamond callously ordering the death of an entire planet, and every living thing on it sapient or not to make more gems. Of Pink Diamond before she embraced her identity as Rose Quartz, trying to talk the other Diamonds down from colonizing Earth, and being ignored.

“And that’s why you hated organic life, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “You couldn’t control us at all, even with your powers. We age and die - and we change. Practically every day, even if it’s not for the best. But we can acknowledge our mistakes, and change ourselves to learn from them. But the way you had things, nothing would ever change if you could help it, so you couldn’t have your gems getting any ideas, could you?”

“So we had to go. If you couldn’t control us because we changed, then we couldn’t benefit your society all the time.” Connie’s eyes widened. “And - and that’s why you had all the off colors shattered, isn’t it? They were outside your control. They couldn’t always be useful, so they had to go too. And eventually, the fusions and the gems who disobeyed joined them. Because they weren’t of use, so how could they help?”

“You wanted to help everyone. And eventually everyone just became “everyone who can do what you say every hour of the day”. You made a society and forgot about the people in it.” A thought passed through Connie’s mind, of several of the more feudal nations on Earth. “Or maybe i’m wrong, and you just didn’t care about anyone else in the first place. But the people didn’t forget about themselves. And since they couldn’t change things under you, you couldn’t stay. All you did was try to hold the steam in a boiling pot.”

She thought of the time Lapis had tried to do that, with Peridot constantly putting in more hot water into the stove (at max temperature). “And that really never works.”

“I don’t know what you thought of the other Diamonds. Maybe you really cared for them in some way, or maybe they were just more pawns to you. People to do what you said. Or maybe they were both, but it doesn’t make a difference now.”

A few days ago, according to Steven, preparations had begun. A handful of ships - Centipeedle among their crew - had begun exploring distant galaxies. Places the empire had never gone to, for fear of overextending their reach, but had already scouted. For places to… remove someone.

Thankfully, the Gem Empire had never progressed beyond their own galaxy and the Milky Way, and many of those worlds had been deemed useless due to a lack of resources, so if they were careful, none of the loyalists would realize where they had gone.

“You gained a lot of power. You killed a lot of people. And you were stronger than any one person could ever dream of.” The Crystal Fusion passed through her mind - her, Steven, Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth…

“And it didn’t matter, because more than one person rose up to beat you. We were together, and you were alone. No one came for you. Nobody who knew you missed you.”

Two more thoughts passed through her head - Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond freed, but imprisoned in their chambers. Both pleased to see each other over the screens.

Neither of them at all disappointed to see White Diamond was missing.

And her Pearl. The one that had once "belonged" to Steven’s mother, plunged beneath the surface of Rose’s fountain bleached pale.

She emerged tinted the same color as the water and its owner.

“And all you’ll ever be now is alone. You and what you chose. Every step of what you chose, was the wrong one. You will be alone and forgotten from now forward. And nobody will shed a tear. Nobody will miss you. No one will care that you are gone." Connie stepped backwards, and started walking towards the door. “ _Nobody._ So goodbye.”

And with that, she walked out the door, leaving the past behind her.

**Author's Note:**

> White Diamond would be an even better villain if she wasn’t always like this. Rebecca said that nobody is past redemption in Steven Universe, if I remember right. So maybe once, White Diamond might have had good intentions and goals. 
> 
> Honestly, you know what one of the saddest things about gem society is? They could have been amazing. No need for food or sleep means they practically could have spent all of their time they weren’t repairing things or such innovating, creating new songs or ideas, rediscovering old ones, exploring…
> 
> And in the end, instead of a utopia, they created a dystopia. Depressing, isn’t it?
> 
> This is partially both Connie getting out her own feelings and me getting out mine.


End file.
